It turned into quite the eventful Wednesday for Rick Carlisle, his players and the entire Mavericks’ franchise.
Reaction poured in regarding the decision to not play the national anthem during the first dozen home games this season, and the NBA’s response that all teams will be required to play the song pregame moving forward.
Coach Rick Carlisle saw it as an opportunity to spike discussions about equality and freedom of expression.
“It’s a logical progression,” he said before Wednesday’s game against Atlanta at American Airlines Center. “And I think anything like this, any time you have a result from something like this, you got to embrace it.